Using Printer Installer with Remote Desktop Services or Citrix

Using Printer Installer with Remote Desktop Services, Citrix or VDI

Printer Installer enables you to deploy Windows network shared printers or Direct IP printer into RDS, Citrix or VDI sessions according to the end point device's name, IP, or AD group membership, even if the end point device is a non-Windows device, without complicated scripts and GPO's. Simply add the computer, group, OU, Container or IP address range to the printer's deployment list and when users login to a RDS or Citrix session, the printer will automatically and silently be installed after the user is presented their desktop. No long logon times that are associated with login scripts or GPO processing, no complicated scripts that only advanced IT staff can manage, just a simple intuitive web-based administrative console that allows you to empower anyone to manage printer deployments in RDS / Citrix sessions. Note: RDS Mode is fully supported with Windows Shared printers, and is currently in beta with direct IP printers.

You can deploy printers in sessions according to:

End point device name (Windows or non-Windows end point devices)

End point device Active Directory group, OU, or Container membership (Windows or non-Windows end point devices)

End point device IP address or IP address range membership (Windows or non-Windows end point devices)

Active Directory user, or user group membership of the user logging into the session.

Deploying a Printer by End Point Device Name (Windows and Non-Windows End Point Devices)

To deploy a printer in the session according to the end point device name, do the following:

Make sure an AD object exists for the end point device. If one does not exist either join the computer to the domain or use the Active Directory Users and Computers management console to create a computer object with the same name as the end point device. Note: To deploy printers according to the device name of non-Windows end point devices, you can create an AD computer objects with the same name as the end point device and use that object in the instructions in the next steps.

In the Printer Installer Administrator, add the computer object to a printer's deployment tab.

Install the Printer Installer Client on the RDS or Citrix server in RDS Mode.

Now when the user connects to a session from the end point device, the Printer Installer Client will check for the device name in AD, when it successfully finds a computer object in AD with the same name as the end point device, it will then send the AD computer name and to the Printer Installer server. The printer installer server will see the AD computer object associated to a printer and instruct the Printer Installer Client to install the associated printer. If you set the deployment association to set the printer as the default printer, the printer will be also be set.

If the user disconnects from the session and joins from a different end point device, the printers that were installed because of the old end point device's deployments will be removed and the printers from the new end point device's deployments will be added.

In addition to managing deployment assignments manually, assignments can also be managed in bulk by using a CSV file. Click here for more information.

Deploying a Printer by End Point Device Active Directory Group, OU, or Container Membership

To deploy a printer in the session according to the end point device Active Directory group, ou or container membership, do the following:

Make sure an AD object exists for the end point device. If one does not exist either join the computer to the domain or use the Active Directory Users and Computers management console to create a computer object with the same name as the end point device.
Note: To deploy printers according to the device name of non-Windows end point devices, you can create an AD computer objects with the same name as the end point device and use that object in the instructions in the next steps.

In the Printer Installer Administrator, add the computer object to a printer's deployment tab.

Install the Printer Installer Client on the RDS or Citrix server in RDS Mode.

Now when the user connects to a session from the end point device, the Printer Installer Client will check for the device name in AD, when it successfully finds a computer object in AD with the same name as the end point device, it will then query the group membership of the computer object and send the AD computer name and group membership to the Printer Installer server. The printer installer server will see the AD computer object or a group object associated to a printer and instruct the Printer Installer Client to install the associated printer. If you set the deployment association to set the printer as the default printer, the printer will be also be set.

If the user disconnects from the session and joins from a different end point device, the printers that were installed because of the old end point device's deployments will be removed and the printers from the new end point device's deployments will be added.

In addition to managing deployment assignments manually, assignments can also be managed in bulk by using a CSV file. Click here for more information.

Deploying a Printer by End Point IP Address Range Membership

To deploy a printer in the session according to the end point device IP address range, do the following:

In the Printer Installer Administrator, create an IP address range object with a beginning and ending IP address.

Add the IP address range object to a printer's deployment tab.

Install the Printer Installer Client on the RDS or Citrix server in RDS Mode.

Now when the user connects to a session from the end point device, the Printer Installer Client will obtain the end point device's IP address. It will then send the IP address value to the Printer Installer server. The printer installer server will see that the IP address of the end point devices is a member of the IP address range object and instruct the client to install the printer containing the IP address range in it's deployment list. If you set the deployment association to set the printer as the default printer, the printer will be also be set.

If the user disconnects from the session and joins from a different end point device, the printers that were installed because of the old end point device's deployments will be removed and the printers from the new end point device's IP address range deployments will be added.

In addition to managing deployment assignments manually, assignments can also be managed in bulk by using a CSV file. Click here for more information.

Setting the Default Printer Automatically

Printer Installer deployment associations can be configured to set the printer being deployed by the association as the default printer. Your options are:

Never: The printer will not be set as the default printer.

Once: The printer will be set as default only during the initial printer installation.

Always: The printer will be set as the default printer every time the client checks in (logon, check-in, or refresh) and the user or computer is a member of the deployment assignment.

If the computer, user, or IP address is a member of multiple deployment assignments, the printer being deployed with the most specific deployment group will win. Items higher in the list are applied over items lower in the list. Here is the priority list.

User

Computer

Group (user membership)

Group (computer membership)

Indirect user group (group is member of assigned group)

Indirect computer group (group is member of assigned group)

Container user

Container computer

Child-container user

Child-container computer

IP address range (smaller range)

IP address range (larger range)

In addition to managing deployment assignments manually, assignments can also be managed in bulk by using a CSV file. Click here for more information.

FAQ's

How do end users self-install printers in a RemoteDesktop or XenDesktop session?Users add printers to desktop sessions by using the web-based Printer Installer Portal to browse to a printer and install it. To open the portal they simply click on the Printer Installer Client system tray icon, it then launches the Printer Installer Portal and the user clicks on the printer they want installed.

How do end users delete a printer in a RemoteDesktop or XenDesktop session?

Users delete printers by right clicking the Printer Installer Client system tray icon and selecting "Delete printer" and then selecting the printer they want to delete.

Use the native printer delete dialogs

How do I automatically deploy printers to a RDS session?
See the options listed above.

When users install direct IP printers and configure printer preference settings while in a RDS session, will the printers be installed and have the same printer preferences if the user disconnects from the session and reconnects to the same or different RDS / Citrix server?
Yes. When a user installs a printer the Printer Installer client will save the printer information in the users roaming profile. When the user logs in to a new session the client reads the printer information from the roaming profile and creates the printer object(s). If the driver and port is already installed on the server they will be used when creating the printer object, otherwise, the client will download and install the driver and create the port and then apply the printer preferences that were stored in the roaming profile.

Why do users that are members of the TS server's local "print operators" group see all user's printers?
Users that are members of the server's local "Print Operators" group, will see all printers from all sessions, as they have rights to see all printers from all users.
Note: No groups are apart of the local "Print Operators" group by default, users or groups must be manually added.

What naming format will the printers have in each user's session?
The printers will show up in the session as "PrinterName". They will NOT show up as Printer (from ComputerName) in session #, printers that show up in this format are printers from the end point device that are being redirected into the session.

What processes will run on the Terminal Services server?

PrinterInstallerLauncher.exe: Only one instance. This process launches the PrinterInstallerClient.exe in session 0 (system) and each user session.

PrinterInstallerClient.exe: One instance for session 0, and one additional instance for each session.

PrinterInstallerClientInterface.exe: One instance for each session. Session 0 does not use one.

What processes will run in an individual terminal services session?

PrinterInstallerClient.exe: Runs as local system account.

PrinterInstallerClientInterface.exe: Runs as session user account.

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